German tourist succumbs to shark attack injuries

HONOLULU — A 20-year-old German tourist who lost an arm in a shark attack off the coast of Maui last week died of her wounds yesterday, her family said, becoming the first person to die of a shark attack in Hawaii in nearly a decade.

Jana Lutteropp, 20, had been hospitalised since she was attacked while snorkelling near Maui and had been on life support prior to her death, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“Jana fought hard to stay alive. However, we are sad to say that she lost her fight today,” Lutteropp’s mother, Jutta Lutteropp, and sister Julia Broeske said in a statement released by Maui Memorial Medical Centre.

“Jana was a very beautiful, strong, young woman who was always laughing, and we will forever remember her that way,” Lutteropp and Broeske said in the statement.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported in a story on its website that Lutteropp was snorkelling about 50 yards offshore, in an area known as White Rock, when she was attacked shortly before 5 p.m.

Four days after Lutteropp was attacked, an eight-foot shark bit a 16-year-old boy in the legs while he was surfing along the east coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

The young victim, Jimmy Ulualoha “Ulu-boy” Napeahi, suffered 30 deep lacerations in the attack, which occurred while he was surfing on Sunday with friends at Pohoiki Bay. He was expected to fully recover.

That incident marked the ninth shark attack on a person in Hawaiian waters this year, according to William Aila, chairman of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. (Reuters)

Search in Archive

Select a MonthSelect a CategorySearch with Google

Barbados Today

Our mission is to keep you informed. Do you have news, know of an event or a personality deserving of coverage? Contact us today! Nothing or no one is too big or too small for us at Barbados Today to highlight. You can also take your own good quality photographs of community events and drop us a note with the details.